Landslide
by Mustanger
Summary: Amy and Ephram pairing. Takes place during the Thanksgiving episode-revolves around the kiss- and will hopefully continue in my own direction. Enjoy!


Landslide  
  
It was Thanksgiving. And Amy Abbott was sitting in the middle of his room. Could life be any more perfect than it appeared to be at this very moment? Then his undeniable case of pessimism kicked in. Looks can be deceiving, he thought. Trying to remind himself that she was only interested in looking at his Mother's old "Grateful Books", Ephram walked into his bedroom.  
  
God she was gorgeous. He couldn't even begin to explain it. It wasn't just the movie star good looks. No, it was something else entirely; like a refreshing burst of.life. He had considered himself to be emotionally dead, never to be revived, after his mother had passed away. But he couldn't help the impact she had on him. Every time she looked at him he had to make sure he didn't forget to breathe. He hoped that his jaw reflex was working so that he would close his mouth before she caught him openly gaping at her.  
  
Ephram stretched out over his bed so that he could be nearer to Amy. She sensed him adjust his position on the bed and felt herself take a sharp intake of breath. Out of nowhere, tens of thousands of butterflies decided that now would be a good time to start flying around in Amy's stomach. It had been such a long time since she felt this way about anyone. Even Colin. This scared the daylights out of her. This was all new in an old way. For as long as she could remember, there was only one boy she would ever love. What was she to do when another boy came along, and caused feelings she wasn't even aware she had, to float to the surface?  
  
Of all the things He loved about Amy, Ephram loved the way she smiled. He couldn't quite place his finger on what it was exactly, that caused his legs to turn to jello whenever she flashed him an ear to ear grin... Maybe it had something to do with the way the corner of her lips curled upward as if trying to hide something. Hiding a secret? And it seemed to everyone else that her lips were locked and could only be opened by the golden boy who possessed the key. However, Colin happened to currently be lost in a world of comatose blackness. What if her lips were hiding a secret and he was just using the wrong key? Colin used to have the key. Now he didn't really have much of anything. Ephram knew he had the power needed to unlock the secret her smile so desperately tried to hide. A secret emotion Amy had probably spent hours convincing herself didn't even exsist. But Ephram could feel something was there. At least he felt that way whenever she gave him her 100% genuine "Amy" smile. A smile that made all the wrong, right, all the bad, good and everything else just fade into fuzziness.  
"You know, I had no idea how much work she put into these things."  
Good job Brown, way to get a conversation started. Amy mulled over Ephram's ice breaker sentence. There had been too much tension in the room before and she was glad one of them had said something, before the tension made the air too thick to breathe. She had been really impressed at the craftsmanship displayed in the "Grateful Books"; his mom must have really been some alternate version of Martha Stewart. More than that though, she was glad that he felt close enough to reveal this section of his past to her. She couldn't help but wonder if there was going to be anymore discovering taking place."These books are beautiful. You'll always have them. That part of her." Amy commented.  
"The stuff I did looks terrible." Once again, she was amazed by his ability to humble himself. However, he was right on some level; the books did resemble that of a first grader's artwork. But it isn't about what it turns out looking like. It's the thought and sentiment put into the making of a physical symbol of love. Besides, they were cute. "No it doesn't. It looks like you put a lot of effort into them." Ehpram sat, admiring the differences between his mother's book and his own. She was capable of anything, even a stupid book. Overcome with a wave of sadness, he began traveling down memory lane. Reminding himself of all the "no mores", his defense mechanism kicked in and what he said afterwards was held up by his infamous sarcasm. "I don't even know why I'm bothering this year," Really, what was the point. If you thought about it long enough, what was the point of anything in general? He hadn't the slightest idea. "If you're not grateful for anything, what are you supposed to put? Grateful my mom died or grateful 'cause we lost our house in New York. Or moved to this town where I don't know anybody so my crazy father could..." "I've got it. Let's make an ungrateful book," Amy abruptly cut in. She noticed he was having a hard time despite his ability to sugar coat his words with pessimism. She decided to play along with his "Ungrateful book" ideas. "I could put Colin, the accident," Ephram listened diligently as Amy continued in spilling her heart as he had done just a few moments ago. "The Harts telling me he could recover better without me, my brother." Amy stopped speaking and Ephram felt the awkwardness of before begin to slowly creep into the room. Those eyes. I wonder if she knows that they reveal to me exactly how she is feeling. Even if she closed them, it doesn't mean that those feelings aren't there. Just when the tension in the room could be cut with a knife, Amy spoke. "You know, Ephram. This year. It felt like I wasn't in control of anything and well, even though things aren't the way I want them to be, I'm still grateful for some things." This caught him completely off guard. Why does she always go and say something like that? Things that make her even more irrsesitable than she already is. Things that made him want to forget everything and just act on his impulses. As much as he wanted to, he knew that he couldn't. The kiss at the mine was a clear example that acting on your impulses didn't necessarily mean that things would have a storybook ending. He wouldn't risk screwing up the only friendship he had come to have in this godforsaken town.  
"You're gonna have to stop doing that." He stated, hoping that she would catch on to the fact that every time she accidently let her gaze linger he thought it was intentional. That every time she said something, anything really, it made him believe something else. Something else that he knew could never be anything more than a compliment. He slightly smiled at the irony of all of it. Amy was confused. What had she done? Besides sitting a bare couple of feet from him and trying to control her heart speed before it exploded. He could have that affect on her. Just him, sitting there looking the way he always did, and saying exactly what she needed to hear. Just him being Ephram, really. "Doing what?" She hoped that he didn't catch on to the way she looked at him. Why do I feel this way? I feel like I am alive. Like I have been asleep my entire life, and now.I don't know. I feel as if I am looking at the world through new eyes. Eyes that are unsure of anything except that they are now open. He hoped that she didn't get mad at him for saying this. That was the last thing he wanted or needed for that matter. He just had to tell her. It killed him every time and he was too young to die of a love unrequited. "Saying things that make me want to kiss you." She wasn't sure if she was shocked or relieved, but the heart she had been trying to slow down just exploded. Amy had to control herself from jumping his bones right then and there. God, she wanted to kiss him. Think logically Abbott. But she couldn't. Not when she was off on cloud nine like this. She knew that was she was about to do was wrong but she couldn't help if her mind disagreed with her heart. She made sure to look directly into his eyes so that he knew that she meant what she was going to say. That it wasn't an act, and that she couldn't control what he brought out in her. "You too." And with that Amy couldn't help herself. He looked so desirable. He couldn't have any way of knowing this but ever since their lip lock in the mine she hasn't been able to stop herself from thinking about the way his lips conveyed everything he was afraid to say to her. And because of that simple fact, she had caught herself replaying the scene in her head more times than she cared to count. He couldn't believe what was about to happen. Before Ephram had even began to process what was going on, his senses became acute and he was suddenly aware of every detail. The way Amy's hair fell across her eyes in the perfectly seductible yet innocent manner. The way her eyes seemed to sparkle, like they had just seen gold for the first time. And her lips. He couldn't tear his eyes away from them. They were so perfect and kissable. He felt inexplicably drawn to them. He wondered if she was wearing that lip gloss she had worn at the mines. Without a chance to dream about her lips any longer, his dream became a reality. Amy Abbott had leaned in for the kiss. The kiss Ephram had been longing for ever since he had met her. This kiss was different from the one they had shared in the mines because they would actually share this one together. The kiss before was out of urgency and panic; that Ephram might not ever get another chance. Not this one though. No, this one was to be mutual. She had initiated and there was no force on this earth that would cause him to stop what she had started. Much to his delight, Amy had in fact been wearing that same lip gloss that fell somewhere in between vanilla and caramel. It tasted warm and smooth. Or maybe it was the way her breath mingled with his own. He didn't know or really care. He would have plenty of hours to over analyze how her lips had tasted of a warm county afternoon sitting on someone's front porch swing. Which would be kind of impossible since he had lived in the city all of his life, but that was besides the point. He needed to be in the moment- in the here and the now. If Amy had to describe what kissing Ephram felt like, she could only think of one word: simple. Everything in life, all of it's complications, shattered to tiny pieces and blurred until they were no longer there. His lips were different from what she remembered Colin's feeling like. Ephram's were perfect. Colin had kissed like it was a race; hurry up and get to the finish line so that you can start again. Not with Ephram though. He kissed like he had an eternity. Soft and slow, careful not to let any moment of pleasure pass, savoring every second. Ephram pulled back with eyes still closed and went to kiss Amy again. This time with his mouth slightly open and his lips barely parted. Amy got the hint and gently flicked her tongue against his partially opened mouth. With the intention of deepening the kiss, to further his exploration, to stay longer in the memory he would surely cherish forever, he allowed his lips to slid in unison with hers.. 


End file.
